(Don Seymour) – CNN reports that Senate Democrats rejected a short-term proposal by the House to keep the government running calling it “the same thing as what they already passed and that was already rejected.”
Wait – what?
The House passed legislation last week to avoid a government shutdown that would fund the government while cutting spending, and called on the Senate to put it to an immediate vote.
Senate Democrats have done nothing. They didn’t “reject” the House proposal – they didn’t even bother to put it to a vote.
Speaker Boehner said if the Senate won’t act then the House will pass another short-term measure designed to keep the government running while reflecting the American people’s demand for spending cuts. Boehner said, “Republicans’ goal is to cut spending and reduce the size of government, not to shut it down.”
Again: Senate Democratic leaders have done nothing. Only this time they’ve announced in advance their unwillingness to vote on the short-term government funding proposal referenced by Boehner – a proposal they haven’t seen because it hasn’t been introduced yet.
Why the charade? Why are Senate Democrats practically rooting for a government shutdown? Why are they teaming up with an “army of lobbyists” to fight spending cuts? Because the Democrats who run Washington are determined to keep the job-crushing spending binge going at all costs.
Ironically, Democrats rammed the failed “stimulus” spending bill into law two years ago without giving lawmakers or the public any time to read it. Now they’re rejecting a proposal that would keep the government running while cutting spending – without bothering to read it themselves?
The House of Representatives has passed legislation that would keep the government running and cut spending – just as the American people are demanding. The ball is in the Senate’s court. As Speaker Boehner said, “I ask Senator Reid, with all due respect: what are you willing to cut?”
(Mr. Seymour works in the Speaker’s press office)